Life on Jefferson Lane

Best Big Brother

2012-01-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

Eli's always doing thoughtful things for his sister. On this particular day a week or two ago it was warm and I sent the kids out to play. He saw Esme struggling and helped her into the swing and pushed her. At playgrounds other parents are often note what a nice big brother he is. Always helping her along and wanting to play with her.

Lately he's the one who gets her out of her crib, an awkward, almost painful feat. A few weeks ago he said "Mom, can I got get Esme?" "No, she's still asleep" "But if she sleeps too long she'll die." He was very concerned.

And when someone gives him a treat, he asks for another for his sister. I'm sure sometimes because he doesn't want to share, but other times he does it when she would never know he got a treat.

1st Article of Clothing

2012-01-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

I might have started this dress before Esme was born, not even sure. I stopped when the snaps on shoulder pushed my presser foot off the edge and I could never get that dang biased tape on. For some reason this Sunday, I decided to get it done before church.

Sorry, the pictures are blurry. This will be the first of many dresses. She was soooo cute Sunday. I seriously look at her and wonder how she came from me.

Esme's Room

2011-12-30T09:53:00.001-07:00

I finally finished a couple of things to complete Esme's room. It's my favorite room so far, with my ideal color on the wall, light gray. It was bright peach before and my only must paint room before moving in. I hate decorating, it feels so contrived and I'm indecisive. I also hate making new holes in walls, especially these plaster ones that are prone to crumbling. I'd rather have bare walls than regrets. But kids rooms are easier, they have so many toys and colors add whimsy. Rainbow wouldn't work so well in a bathroom or living room, right?

I was waiting for Christmas for a couple of things, to finally make my own child puppets that I've already made for 4 other kids and a fun kid chair. First the puppets. They were so much work I wasn't going to throw them in some toy bin. My second Christmas Eve staying up late a slave to the sewing machine. But so worth it, she loves them.

She's constantly singing Old McDonald. I stressed for weeks on a way to display them, then my sister sent a package with lots of fencing for some wooden animals, so I stuck half of them vertically to the table with some 3M Command hooks, the best invention ever I've decided. I stupidly tried to hang the book shelf with them, my first new hole in our walls had to happen.

Esme's obsessed with reading. I'm a little psycho about maintaining order with her books, so I put most of them out of reach and a few favorites on her shelf (actually a spice rack from Ikea). And I've wanted comfy chairs like my sister's kids have for a long time. Also a big hit, they carry them all over the place, up and down the stairs, put two together to make a crib or a cave.

I bought the prints over the summer at the Provo Farmer's Market from some artistic girl selling her stash before moving to San Francisco. Four for a dollar or something ridiculous like that.

I replaced those bi fold closet doors with a girlie curtain. We've been able to cram quite a lot in our tiny closets. I love how a small house makes you be very organized and choosy about what you buy.

When Esme turned two I realized that she might not be a baby anymore, so her mobile was replaced with some bunting I made for a Relief Society activity and this felted butterfly from Switzerland.

And here's the last corner. Luckily my kids are pretty tidy and it pretty much always looks like this. Oh, and we recently got half the house new windows (only half because it's so expensive) but I wanted hers done for sure to keep out noise and heat from the sun during naps. The rest were to get rid of the leaded-paint infested, single pane windows in the basement. There is only one more project I have in mind, to make a drum shade with this tutorial.

New Museum

2011-11-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Brian's sister was here last week and I was looking around for something close and the Natural History Museum's website said it had opened in it's brand new site two days earlier. I'd never been to the old one, but when we pulled up I was impressed. All the museums I've been to in Utah have ranged from hokey to okay. I was amazed from the outside. People talk about architecture blending in with the landscape, but this was the most realistic example I've ever seen. Shaped like the mountains behind it, dressed in copper mined from across the valley.

Inside it was so modern I felt like I was in a fancy California museum. I have to say the University of Utah outdid BYU's Bean Museum, haha. It was very kid friendly with several educational play areas and class rooms with hands-on learning tools. We bought a year pass and I'm looking forward to taking the kids over and over. There's a lot to learn about little ol' Utah. Like how ever many thousands of years ago this was beach front property.

Our little archaeologist

The Best Pet Ever, From A Non-Pet Person

2011-11-15T22:07:00.002-07:00

Brian hopes he won't have to mow the lawn anymore

The night Brian set aside to go pick up our future pet, Eli's birthday present, I got some icy cold feet. Everything I read said rabbits are not for little kids, and everything in my head told me I'd be the one shoveling poop. Brian was so set on a rabbit he said he would do everything and he has. Who knew Brian was a pet person. He's been happily cleaning up after, potty training, playing and cuddling with, and reading bunny books to decipher rabbit's actions. I had some criteria for him before he set off to the breeder an hour away "only a girl, and no psycho red-eyed white bunny." At least it's a girl.

Apparently you shouldn't bathe bunnies,
a plus for me.

Eli's really loving and gentle and Whitey puts up with him carrying her all over the place. She hasn't bitten anyone yet. The kids love bringing her little snacks (scraps from the kitchen) during the day. She's quiet and doesn't stink. She even prefers her cage, or maybe she just hates the process of being pulled out the door. She has caused a little trouble, finding a hole in the fence and realizing we can't catch her when she's in the thorny raspberry patch. Nothing an apple core couldn't entice her out of. And she does weird things like cleaning herself only while sitting in her litter box.

A trap to try and get her out of the raspberries

I felt bad only getting one since they are social animals and would be happiest with a companion and it's hard to find a companion when they're adults, but we keep her in the living room, get her out several times a day, she has an amazing yard, and the local organic food she eats isn't bad either. It's always nice when she comes out of the mint bush smelling and fresh. And the branches we trim from the fruit and maple trees will work perfectly as chew sticks to keep her teeth filed.

I worry about stress since she lives with little kids and I learned rabbits can have panic attacks and even a heart attack and die if a dog chases them. Since we found out, our goal has been to make her teeth grind while we hold her, the bunny equivalent of purring. And the other night I was the first person she licked, a sign of affection. I hope whitey's happy with us, we sure are glad she's here. Luckily she's really small, so Brian's not tempted to eat her. He's overly practical like that.

Esme at 2

2011-11-15T21:18:00.003-07:00

This girl is finding her voice. "Sit here, give me that, my turn, candy, stop!" So independent and full of ideas. If she decides she wants something, she yells immediately instead of asking a couple of times and then resorting to yells. Like yesterday when she wanted "Wheels on the Bus" to play on repeat even though our crusty old CD player doesn't have that fancy option. It was worth the two minutes of peace for me to run in her room after it ended each time. Since her birthday she's been loving her "learning tower" (a railed in steppy stool) to raise to the counter to help cook.

Brian thought I was dumb for buying a $75 used step stool. But she loves it. I usually put her in charge of adding things like pepper and sesame seeds into sauces or cutting soft things with a butter knife. But the other day she insisted on making her own lunch which ended up being a traumatized piece of bread soaked in peanut oil.

She also loves her backpack. I put it on her Sunday with a few toys and she almost fell backwards with the weight, then she compensated and hunched forward like a granny to walk before taking a rest.

She also had the fun idea to lay in her doll's crib and went along with Eli's even better idea to push her around the house.

One more pound and she might've fallen out the bottom. Oh yes! We switched to a new pediatrician nearby and she was not even stressed at the 19 lb 1 oz fully dressed two year old! She asked tons of developmental questions and said her growth curve chart looks fine and if anything we should not get too crazy with the butter and even mentioned we could switch to 2% milk. She ended by saying "See you next year," not, "How many calories a day has she been eating, what did the dietician say, I'm sending you to this specialist next, lets get her blood drawn for these other tests, have you been cramming the unnecessary medicine down her throat?" okay, maybe not realistic wording on that last one.

Yesterday at the playground she melted me when she was swinging on a bar and said "duper fun." She melts Brian after he reaches the end of a level on Super Mario and says "gimme five" and "good job." Oh and books. All of a sudden she can sit down for half an hour with a book. And she prefers the regular, hard-to-turn pages. And every morning I know she's awake when I hear her soft little voice singing "E-i-e-i-o."

1st Snow

2011-11-05T22:01:00.001-06:00

Brian really missed out this morning. He woke up in Phoenix and we woke up to this:

What a perfect Saturday morning! My usually hungry kids couldn't even wait for breakfast to get out there. After getting all suited up Eli was proud to show his sister the ins and outs of snow. It was her first time, since she wasn't walking last year. He showed her the basics, snow balls, sledding, that it's edible.

And when we looked at this house over the summer I took note that the small hill on the back of the house would make the perfect sledding slope for small kids and wimps like me. And it was.

2

2011-11-05T21:45:00.000-06:00

It was a quiet day with all our attention turned to Esme. I came up with the cutest outfit I could find in her mostly second-hand wardrobe and we were off. Everywhere we went (bookstore to play trains, pet store, restaurant, toy store) I told the people it was her birthday. Eli had school, so just the two of us went out for breakfast. The nice lady turned our single order of french toast into two with one cut up in small pieces.

I can see how she thought the syrup was a drink.

Her only two wishes were to play trains and for a purple cake. I accidentally dropped half of the food coloring in, so it was quite a neon purple. And, of course, she didn't eat any.

Happy Birthday little one. You fill us with joy.

The Best Halloween

2011-11-01T07:05:00.001-06:00

Esme's 1st Candy

*Eli and Esme went together since she can walk this year. And they understood, they were jumping and bouncing with excitement while we got them ready.

*Speaking of getting them ready, ahhhh. They wanted the same costumes, a duty free halloween for me.

*It was so warm! And light outside thanks to daylight savings. No freezing kids with coats over their costumes.

*People were so friendly. All kinds of kids were yelling "Hi, Eli!" It took an hour to walk our short block because we kept talking and going in people's houses. We only ended up doing two blocks.

*Neighbors were so generous. The old owners of our house called to warn us it would be crazy busy with trick-or-treaters, but people told the kids to take several candies and even gave us parents some. There were even a couple of houses that gave whole candy bars, I thought that was just legend. And one house had hot dogs and cider for everyone while another had a bounce house set up. It was amazing!

Leaves!

2011-10-29T08:31:00.000-06:00

The first tree has started dumping leaves in the back yard and when you look up you can hardly tell any are missing. It's going to be crazy. Last night I wanted to drive half an hour and pay $30 for us to go to a kiddy corn maze with lots of games. Brian wisely voted for playing in the leaves in the back yard. A first for all of us.

Surprisingly, Esme was quite serious and uptight about it while Eli was the opposite. "Noooo" she'd say grumpily and start picking the leaves off her coat.

Brian shielding her

She did perk up when she got the idea to get Eli back.

Eli, on the other hand...

loved rolling around and getting buried.

We got more excitement and expression out of him than we have in a long time.

Then was my turn.

Eli's Birthday Party

2011-10-22T20:50:00.001-06:00

Today was the first party I ever hosted. We've had a few last minute gatherings, but this was complete with invitations, decorations, activities, and dinner. And now that I think about it, all guests were from different times in our life. Brian's parents came from Oregon, my mom from Idaho, my old roommate with her kids, Brian's coworker's kids, one from martial arts, a friend from the mom's club I was in, and of course Curt from the condos. All the kids made friends and seemed to have fun.

Puffy goldfish swimming overhead.

Brian's mom did great work with the limited decorating supplies
I gave her. Besides wanting fish swimming on his cake, he wanted
maraschino cherries. inside. Yuck. At least I found some with no
artificial colors or sweeteners.

Funny dinner conversation

Then we had a relay race, it was a hit! There were obstacles to cross: monkey bars, a balance beam...

Whack a baseball...

a wheel barrow ride...

tape to run through at the finish line...

and medals.

Then came pinata time. Everyone got a turn and it broke with the last kid.

Eli too busy with his sucker
to blow out his candle.

Brian set up the rabbit in the yard during
all the excitement, then it was discovered.

The birthday boy had tons of fun.

School So Far

2011-10-18T23:23:00.001-06:00

Eli has really taken to school. He's always dressed before I tell him, has wolfed down breakfast and is asking if it's time to go yet.

I was worried since last year he was scared and refused to even talk about school. He's also a shy kid and pretty serious. And, despite the fact that he hasn't had a lot of other kids to play with, he's very social at school. When I'm walking him in the other boys yell "Hi Eli!" and their parents say he's the only kid they hear about at home.

He goes to a really great school where everyone's friendly fun things are always going on. In September was the school carnival.

He decided to ride...

after watching Esme go first.

Today was a pumpkin hunt, next week a little birthday party, and then Halloween.

Last week I picked him up and the teacher said, "What is Eli into, what would get him going? I can't even get a smile out of him." And it's true. Most of the time he's quite serious, even if he's doing something fun, like on a ride at the fair. This has me worried since I'm always worrying and stressing and it's rubbing off on him. Like today, I started to talk about his birthday party and grandparents coming and he said "I'm busy, I've got to go clean, wash the dishes mom." So I'm trying to be more fun.

He is, however, social. His teacher also told me that he'd been asking everybody to come over to his house and play. He'd even asked other moms before I was there. So the teacher was glad today when she overheard me arranging something with another mom.

The boy seems to be a good student. Listens to the teacher, always gets a treat at the end of class for being good, which he keeps in his pocket to share with Esme. Besides asking to wear the same shirt every school day (luckily it's every other day) things are going smoothly. And I've noticed his teacher isn't shy about telling parents how their kid acted up that day. He doesn't complain about homework, or "fun sheets," as his teacher calls them, although, it takes some prodding to get them done.

It's fun to see him interact and slowly figure out what kind of person he will be. And I'm especially glad that he loves school. We always take walks to his future elementary school and play at the playground, so the transition should be pretty smooth.

Our First Real Garden

2011-10-09T16:37:00.001-06:00

Well, we tried with window boxes the first Spring we were married and living in a dark basement apartment. I think we got two peas.

Hopefully this fall garden goes a little better, cuz we're jumping in all the way. We even built a little green house yesterday on a second patch closer to the house and I finally finished putting the compost tumbler together yesterday. So now our first batch of future compost is cooking away. I'm expecting bugs to get half of everything since it will be organic and my first time. And of course, the one vegetable I'm not as excited about is doing best: cabbage.

At least it's purple. And I don't hate cabbage, it just takes a week or two to get through one head of it. So cabbage recipes are welcome. Hopefully we'll also get some leeks, broccoli, and

Colorful Carrots

Swiss Chard

Nero Kale

Next to the house I made a little green house since the teacher at a "Beginning Organic Gardening" class last week said it was simple. Pound 2 foot metal rods into the ground, bend pvc onto them and cover with thick, plastic painter's tarp. I wimped out twice at home depot since everyone was telling me a different thing to do, but this weekend I finally braved up. And hopefully the lettuce, onions, celery, kale, and chard have a happy warm place and their growing season will be extended.

Planted October 8th, we'll see what happens

I've learned a few things. Organic is more about nurturing the soil than the plant. And adding instead of taking away. So marigolds planted on the end of each row help attract pollinators and have a smell that pesky bugs don't like. Smashed up egg shells to keep slugs away. Plant basil under tomatoes since it likes the shade. Plant legumes, peas, clover in the fall where heavy producers like tomatoes will be the next summer to naturally add nitrogen to soil. And the only trick I've used so far, plant onions and garlic between the kale and lettuces, since their roots are high and are also stinky to bugs. But that's only been going for a day, so we'll see how it works.

Cute little heirloom lettuces,
with purple onions between.

Eli's Big Day Today

2011-09-06T23:08:00.002-06:00

School is serious business. Eli doesn't remember any names or details, but is excited to go back wearing his new Cars t-shirt Brian got for him in California. Mousie patiently waited in his backpack the whole time. On the way out Esme wanted a turn wearing his backpack. It wasn't pretty. I'm going to have to get her one. Here she is while we were shopping:

She ran around making people smile and
the sensitive door alarms go off.

But this is about Eli. Last year he was to scared to start school and this year he jumped right in. He's quite friendly, so I imagine he'll be inviting kids over all the time. Surprisingly I didn't even tear up dropping my first child off to his first day of school. I wasn't quite kicking my heels like the other moms. Excited to see what kind of student he ends up being and what friends he will make.

The Back Yard

2011-09-06T22:41:00.002-06:00

There were quite a few houses in the neighborhood I picked out within our price range, all of them larger, many of them upgraded throughout, but this back yard sealed the deal. Brian was hesitant, but realized that this yard would affect our lives more than, say, a formal dining room. We already spend most of our time out there. Tonight we had dinner outside, Brian mowed the lawn, the kids played on the swingset and picked berries. The sizable trees are on the west side, bringing afternoon/evening shade making it totally pleasant rather than unbearably hot. And the yard is not just a big area of grass and a few trees like I see when I peek to the neighbors' yards. There are several different areas that make it feel more homey and useful.

Perfect slope for sledding, we're quite wimpy

Clothesline and fire pit

Dining area, herbs, swing set, sand box, balance beam,
tree swing and hammock.

There are places to eat, play, relax, hang laundry, keep chickens, roast marshmallows and plant a vegetable garden. We moved in too late for that last one, but the fruit is making up for it. Peaches started just as we got here and are coming to an end, but apples and pears are just about ready, raspberries and black berries are full. It's really insane how many much fruit there is, but luckily the trees are mostly small and quite manageable. Elder berries, currants, goose berries, rhubarb, apricot, several plumb trees. Everything needs to be pruned, so I better learn about that fast since I think it's best to do in the Fall. And natural pest control, the berries are the only things we haven't had to share with the bugs, and if I don't figure it out, Brian will go at it with toxic chemicals. I'm especially excited about the Elder berries, besides making tea and syrup from the flowers, the berries apparently have a medicinal quality, helping prevent and quicken the end of colds and the flu. I've already made some syrup.

Elder Berries

One of the last peaches

Bartlett Pears

The smart bugs seem to like fuji apples best too, not as much
as the honeycrisp next door.

And two bunches of grapes

Tonight's loot, being looted

I'm sort of glad we missed the apricots, it's the largest tree and I'm hoping to ease my way into canning and such, rather than being thrown into the kitchen for endless, messy hours right away. Although, I love the apricot tree.

I think it's beautiful with its twisted trunk and appreciate that it gives our hammock and tree swing a home. A squirrel lives there too. He likes to eat the inside of the pits. We've found other creatures too. Like this praying mantis in the peppermint that I gather almost daily for some tea.

I have to say, late summer would be a good time for visitors. We gather all this fruit and since we don't know anyone around here we just keep it. Well, I guess I could knock on a neighbor's door.

We enjoy outside time, but the house isn't bad either; I like it a lot. It is small, but has everything we need. I'm glad Brian gave in. It's the perfect place for us.

Getting Settled

2011-08-31T22:57:00.001-06:00

No house tour yet, sorry people. Although, I have to say this place looks much better with our furniture than the last people's. I'm probably biased. I do have things workable, a couple boxes in the corner of each room and all the things I need out. Unpacking is so tedious. Today I threw a bunch of stuff away since that was easier than trying to find a spot for it. And working on it with two needy kids and a missing husband, right now shopping and having sushi in San Francisco, is going to take longer than expected. (I don't ever remember being jealous of Brian, but this week I am). Thinking back, we unpacked in the condo after one day, we were so excited, not that we aren't now. The kids do well out in the yard on their own for an hour or so, but they are much more content when I'm out there with them. Right now I'm using otter pops to buy time. And this:

We have been enjoying our close proximity to EVERYTHING. When the kids and I need a break we find out about the neighborhood, shops, playgrounds. Today we walked to his future elementary school, a rigorous 3 blocks.

She doesn't need a toy stroller.

Add caption

He also visited his pre-school and met his teacher. He's finally excited. He used to be so scared. All it took was going to a pre-school open house in Sandy a few months ago. The sand table had him hooked. Luckily Miss Sabrina's class room, with an under water theme, had a sand table too.

It's a really good school that our realtor recommended as the best in town and they magically got a space for him a couple of weeks ago. It will be a class of 10 boys, good luck teacher. Eli will help, he's going to be a hall monitor someday, I know it. In primary he tells kids to stop this or that if he knows its against the rules. Miss Sabrina even said he could bring Mousie to school. But the spot she gave Mousie to sit wasn't secure enough, so he'll keep him in his backpack in his cubbie.

During Esme's nap Eli and I were together instead of me sticking a movie in so I could get boxes emptied. We hung laundry and laid in the hammock literally watching it dry. A nice quiet moment. I kept thinking, this must be heaven.

A Few Firsts

2011-08-23T23:39:00.002-06:00

It has been an eventful couple of weeks. Getting a house, visiting a new place, and a few other things. Definitely the most firsts for Esme. To start out with, her first time on kid rides. We had to do something fun the last day before Shannon, Curt's mom, went back to work after a carefree summer, so we took the kids to Jungle Jim's, like an indoor carnival. Esme was so adventurous! She begged to go on rides and even went by herself which I was still trying to coax Eli into. She even preferred to sit with Curt over her brother. For some reason they didn't fight over the steering wheel the way siblings do and she liked his crazy driving and crashes. When Eli rode with him he would chew Curt out when he got jolted and Esme just laughed.

Looks like a date to me

Must've been her favorite, judging by the expression.
For some reason my kids have blank stares on rides and get off smiling and saying how fun it was.

It might've been Mousie's first carnival ride
too, Eli would want this recorded. His obsession
with that mangy thing just keeps getting worse.

And Eli gave his first talk in Primary his last day there before we move. He did so well, not as shy as I thought and did better than our practice runs. I had to keep reminding him that even though I was whispering, he had to talk louder.

Oh, and on the same day Esme looked so cute (not a first for her), I couldn't resist a photo shoot.

And, this past weekend we joined Brian for one of his martial arts trips. A summer camp in Aspen. I realized he leaves us 4 times between April and October just for martial arts, not to mention regular work conferences. He goes places like, San Diego, Aspen, Sun Valley, Idaho, Whitefish Montana, Arizona, and we've never gone since driving that far is a nightmare, we just sit around bored waiting for him to finish, and hotels are pricey. But now that he's "regional examiner" his expenses are paid and Aspen's not too far.

During our long wait for it to be over I ventured into Aspen by myself and it was my first time there, or even in Colorado. Luckily it was a small town and the road practically led us downtown, where there was a playground and farmer's market going on, besides the snooty people shops. Hopefully Brian was proud, all I bought were these irresistible pastries and some awesome red shoes for Esme at a second hand kids shop.

I think she knew how many calories were involved,
couldn't get her to take more than a couple of bites.

So I found a diner and we had ice cream for dinner. She wouldn't eat any until I called the pink ice cream "strawberries" and she opened up. Maybe I should start calling fattening food things like "cabbage" "green beans" or "salad" hmmm....

It's a hard life trying to gain weight.

Anyway, it was a nice trip. Definitely easier to stay home, but good to see where Brian's going all the time.

As for the last "first". We came home from that trip and the next day went to get the keys for our first house. So exciting. It is now 11:30 at night and Brian just finished painting two rooms. I'm not too picky, but the peach/cantaloupe color in Esme's room had to go. Well, the first thing I did was tear out the carpet to reveal some decent hard wood.

As soon as we got in yesterday they ran straight for the sand box in the back yard, already full of toys to play with. First time playing in their own back yard.

Pretty significant, I'd say.

6 Years

2011-08-13T07:32:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday was our anniversary. We're getting so practical now that we're old timers. No more hundreds of dollars dropped at a fancy spa. Last year was mini golf and Italian food in town. And this year my great visiting teacher (who LOVES kids and was surprised we weren't staying out long enough for her to have to put the kids to bed!) watched Eli and Esme. We went up to Solitude for a hike and dinner at a nice restaurant there. If you hike up the mountain and find where the chairlift ends, then you can ride it down for free.

Not sure how he mustered a smile, must've been after we figured
out how to pull the bar over our laps.

I even learned something new about Brian. He's scared of heights! Just like the old man! I called him Frank the whole way down. The only other time I've ever seen him scared was in Switzerland driving a one-lane road (where you have to honk before you go around a turn) on the side of a cliff in the heaviest fog I've ever seen. In this not so equally dangerous situation he sat down, put his hand behind my back and froze. So I had to be the one figuring out his fancy phone for this unflattering picture.

I guess we won't be skiing, since I'm too scared of the steep hills and speed and he's terrified of the chairlift.

Summer Fun-More house pictures added

2011-07-10T18:13:00.004-06:00

A little milk to wash down the chocolate ice cream cone

Crazy lady at the Provo Farmer's Market had bunny cages strapped to the top of her 1980's Civic,
even crazier, she was trying to sell un-weaned bunnies that needed to be bottle fed every 3 hours.

Rockport Reservoir

These hot days are filled with many trips to the pool, ice cream cones, playground visits, farmer's markets, and fishing trips while we anticipate moving into our new (old) house.

And, for the first time since becoming a mother, I let us stay up late and venture out to see fireworks instead of going to bed at 10 and cursing the noise outside. I thought I'd start our new tradition early and go to the Sugarhouse fireworks. It was perfect weather, Eli loved rolling down the grassy hills and playing at the playground while we waited for the show to start and neither kid melted down out of exhaustion or minded the noise.

Yesterday was the house inspection and despite some problems (you know, roof, plumbing, electrical), Brian says we can still take it. Don't worry about us parents, namely Suzanne and Frank. Buying an old house sure makes me appreciate past renting days and our newish condo. But I'm totally convinced it will be worth it. I forgot to take pictures, but I'll try and find some on Brian's phone from our last walk-through on that rainy father's day. He couldn't zoom out to include more of the room, so I'd been waiting to get some better ones, but here are some.

I love blue, I love aspens, and the neighbors are so nice.

Besides the house's location, this yard is the main reason we're buying it.

Eli coming back from petting bunnies. Along with a big back patio,
there's this area for eating outside, complete with perennial herb garden.

Right when you come in the front door, we'll have to squeeze a seating
area in here too since they are using a bedroom as a living room.

Half of the good kitchen, maybe a new Ikea kitchen some day, but for now I'm happy.

Eli's future room in basement, complete with built in desk and book shelves.

And I went last Thursday for a sewer-line inspection that the inspector recommended. The owner was there and she told me about the garden she added with fruit bushes (elder berry, currant, raspberry), fruit trees (fuji and honey crisp apple, pear, peach, apricot, and plum that haven't been fruiting) and that there have only been 4 owners since it was built 65 years ago. The first owners must've stayed for 40 of them, since some people knocked a couple years ago and said it was their grandma's house and wanted to see where they grew up. By some strange coincidence our realtor helped his client buy it back in the 90's, one person after them, and the current owners. We've promised Eli bunnies and they're leaving the chicken coop.

When we went that rainy day we were trying to decide which of two houses to place an offer on. I had found this one in March, right after it was listed and had loved it since, but we weren't ready with the down payment then. Luckily it was still around in June. Brian liked another one better. It had a lifetime aluminum roof, was bigger, sizeable yard with garden box and play set (but zero shade) and was 3 houses from the elementary school. We were standing there in the rain and I was almost teary saying goodbye since I knew Brian liked the other house better and I was okay with it. He took a walk out by the raspberry bushes (maybe his favorite thing to eat) and stood a while thinking. He realized that this yard would make more of an immediate impact on our lives than a couple hundred more square feet and a formal dining room. It would've taken 5-10 years to get the garden the other house had, besides the gigantic shade trees on the West side of the yard. And so, he agreed. Can't wait. Every day we talk about our new house. But the owners one request was for a closing date at the end of August. Which is good because it gets us 6 more weeks to find renters.

For Rent

2011-06-30T08:52:00.000-06:00

We knew we wanted to move to town at some point for Brian to be closer to work, possible martial arts students, better schools for Eli, and I'm intense about being walking distance to basic necessities. Prices are good and interest rates are low. We've found a house and should have a signed contract this week. The only problem is we bought our condo at the market high in the summer of 2007 and can't sell. I've seen neighbors trying to sell for literally years, but these condos do rent quickly. So we're going for it. Yikes.

I'm kind of glad we don't have to sell. I love this place. Coming from our student basement apartment (in which we were perfectly content, but was too far from work) it felt like a mansion. I remember being in awe of the walk-in closets, jetted tub, vaulted ceiling. I told our realtor we'd never move.

Scrawny Pants

2011-06-16T15:56:00.002-06:00

Cystic Fibrosis sweat test in May.
I felt like a slave driver making her climb stairs.

Well, she doesn't look skinny in two outfits covered with two snow suits. Yesterday she was weighed, 17lb 5 oz at 19 1/2 months. Her first time slowing from her own growth curve that I noticed to be 1 pound/quarter. Her blood and sweat tests all came back normal. So I figured we were free and clear. After the results came back our doctor said she wants her to go to all the specialists (pediatric dietitian, gastroenterologist, and endocrinologist) again, even though they went over her test results and said they think she's fine. I put my foot down, canceled the appointment for the dietitian and decided I was done with her ideas. If there was no underlying condition causing her skinniness and she is thriving the way she is (full of energy, growing taller, above developmental milestones for her age) why do we have to force her on to the growth curve of anglo, formula-fed babies?

Brian got a second opinion from one of the many martial arts parents that is a doctor. She said that between the ages of 1 and 2 is a crucial time of development for the brain, especially the white matter which is largely made from lipids. This made more sense to me. My doctor has never said why she's so concerned with her weight and I've never asked why, assuming she just wants her to gain weight to gain weight. So yesterday I kind of apologized to her for my little fit and agreed to take her to the dietitian, wrangle her down twice a day to administer some antihistamine that hopefully will have the side effect of increased appetite after a couple of months, and count every calorie that goes in her mouth. Thank goodness for the kitchen scale.

Deep down, I really think there's nothing wrong with Esme. I keep remembering a medical study I heard about where the doctor would ask the mother if she thought there was something wrong with her child and 96% of the time the mom was right. But I can't base her care on my opinions, and what kind of mother would I be if I wasn't trying my hardest.

220 calorie lunch today. Pretty good. All rules have gone out the door. She doesn't have to eat what we eat, she doesn't have to be in her seat, and she can eat off of our plates. She starts out in her seat. Gets down after a few bites, and I follow her around with bites. I hide all vegetables until she's done eating, or she'll just whine for our salad. She basically eats carbs (rice, noodles, bread) dripping with butter, eggs smothered in cheese, and the cream from the top of the whole milk yogurt. She's been bad about drinking until this week I realized she will drink milk almost endlessly if she has her own big girl cup. It's scary to watch, mainly because spills mess up my measurements. Sometimes I think if her and I could just switch bodies for a couple weeks. I would get nice and skinny, she would get plump... and this place would be a mad house. After this paragraph I think I might actually be going crazy.

Boys

2011-06-07T18:23:00.000-06:00

As the mother of a boy, I had to say I was a little offended when I first heard that nursery rhyme saying that boys are made "of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails" while girls are made of "sugar spice and everything nice." Lately I'm starting to think it's true. Whenever he encounters a bug, it must be killed. If it's at home he runs for his kid butter knife and I can hear him saying things like "I'm going to chop you up and throw you away." And we all love how many words Esme can say. She parrots back anything you tell her to. Eli's favorite? "Esme, say poo poo."

Dressing a Girl

2011-06-02T08:33:00.000-06:00

I've been excited to sew Esme a dress since before she was born, I see so many amazing tutorials on sewing blogs. I started one a long time ago and got stuck. So at 18 months I finally made a new one. I love how with girls, pants that are too short become capris and dresses can later be worn as shirts. It gets even better knowing I made it out of an old maternity shirt during a nap. Thanks MADE.

Annual Farm Day

2011-05-14T22:52:00.001-06:00

Today we drove up to Layton for our CSA's member farm day, a chance to see what's going on, help plant, and pull up some vegetables that wintered over, in this case, Jerusalem artichokes or sun chokes- which look like ginger root, but starchy like a potato. Only 3 couples showed up, but we still had fun. I think Esme the most, judging by how dirty she got. The kids were tough, loved the dirt and bugs, ate raw sun chokes and asparagus when they got hungry.

I had good reason to get out the camera this time because I help the main blogger for the CSA in trade for a free small share. Pretty good set up. My first "job" since Eli was born. Brian was gone most of the time, so I couldn't get too creative with the kids tugging on me or in my arms.

Chinese Broccoli waiting

Bees with honey water dripping in from buckets since they ate their store
and need energy to come out of dormancy.

Add caption

What we were after- sun chokes

Have I mentioned Esme's a daddy's girl?
It feels strange not being the preferred parent.

18 Months

2011-05-08T17:16:00.002-06:00

Last Tuesday Esme turned months. I didn't make her a present or even do a photoshoot. Oops. We just sang to her at 7:43 and had cake. Eli decided that she would like brown cake with pink frosting. She only wanted to eat the cream cheese frosting and feed us the cake.

At her check-up we found out she's only 17 pounds and that the doctor wants her to get some tests, BLOOD TESTS and a sweat test for cystic fibrosis, done and to see an endocrinologist. If everything is fine, then she will accept that she's just small. She doesn't need her to be on the same growth curve as other kids, she just wants her line, much below theirs, to go up at the same rate. I think she has her own growth rate. Since she was 6 months old, she's gained exactly one pound every three months.

18 months also meant that today was her first day in nursery at church. Of course I got teary, of course she did fine, and of course I took pictures when I went to pick her up.

Welcome Spring

2011-05-06T15:16:00.001-06:00

I think it's finally safe to say that Spring is actually here. Last Saturday we woke up to this:

And I knew I couldn't even hope for warm weather soon because that would mean flooding, which is scheduled to happen in the next couple of days. We're already making plans to go up in the mountains tomorrow to fish and roast hog dots and marshmallows and get sticky eating drippy watermelon.

I've been waiting patiently to take the kids out for a ride in the bike trailer and today was the perfect day. I thought they would fight me because Eli loves to ride his own bike and Esme screams at the sight of her car seat every time since we got back from California. But they were happy. I love living so close to a trail and that it leads to a place like Gardner Village. Fun bike ride followed by a petting zoo, a toy store with trains to push, and donuts to munch. Life was good today, especially when I heard Esme giggling behind me.

Found something good in the storage unit

Finally ready to go

Someone smile please

Ah. Gardner Village

I suppose the donut counteracted the workout. At least it was enjoyable exercise, for all 3 of us.

Brian's Other Children

2011-05-01T21:34:00.000-06:00

Aren't they the cutest girls? Especially since they always oogle over Esme. Brian has been teaching them since he started his school 3 1/2 years ago. They are his first generation of students to test for their Dan (black belt), which happened yesterday. The semi-annual test that rotates cities also happened to take place here in Salt Lake. They did so well! They range from shy and quiet to feisty and sassy and are best friends. He's known one of them since she was Eli's age. Now she's almost taller than him!

The highlight for me was when the most timid girl didn't break her required or creative board breaks and the regional examiners gave her one more chance. It didn't seem like she was even trying,her foot flopping off the board, so I figured nothing would happen when the testing board gave her the another try. Brian was the proctor, so he told her she had another try.

Afterword I talked to her mom who said she had just turned off the video camera when her daughter forcefully and precisely smashed through the two boards with a side kick. Later some parents overheard her telling the other girls that it's Brian's voice that calms her and gives her confidence and he hadn't spoken to her before the other two break attempts.

It's a big event. Takes place over 3 days with people traveling from Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. People come to test for black belts and teaching certifications, a pre-evaluation if they're testing next time, and to participate in clinics taught by the masters. Salt Lake is right in the middle and the biggest city, so there's always a big crowd. This Fall the test will be in White Fish Montana, practically on the Canadian border.

Brian had to figure out the schedule for classes, where they could be held, hotel, restaurants, maps and directions. The best thing he did was book Tucano's for the final banquet after the test. Most of the people are from small towns and were amazed at the food. At the banquet lots of people were thanking me for my sacrifice. I really didn't do much but wait patiently while he was out until 11 pm for a few nights and make some treats for the visiting masters and parents who helped behind the scenes.

Brian sure loves his martial arts. It's something he needs to do to feel complete and happy. He especially loves teaching. He's just the right combination strict and friendly, maintaining respect while letting the kids have fun. His classes flow with the perfect amount of philosophy/culture, theory, and application. And he loves the kids. If money is tight, he doesn't send them an invoice. If they need extra practice he stays after. Parents even tell him about hard things going on at home so he can keep that in mind and help. Some need more confidence. Others need to be reined in.

He's out helping kids and even making some spare money as a hobby while other men blow the whole day watching football, playing video games, or golfing. I have to say, I do pretty well being patient and understanding on those long nights. I'm so proud of him.

You Are What You Buy

2011-04-27T08:45:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I feel powerful at the grocery store. Telling big business what's important to comsumers. Whole foods, organics, free range meat/eggs. Then someone walks by with a cart full of frozen meals, sugar cereal, ice cream, soda, chips and bottled water-a great farse.

Brian thinks I'm a snob. It's not that, I happen to love an occasional box of mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, or a nice cold coke every couple months. It's actually a combination of cheapness and guilt. I can't bear to spend good money on high fructose corn syrup or support companies that harm animals and the land to make their product cost less.

A few times I've heard people say they want to eat healthier or incorporate more vegetables. My theory is you just have to change what you buy. And the internet has so many recipes there's no excuse. It might only work for intense people like me that don't let anything go bad.

Now I'm having to confront my past purchases from the marvelous bulk section of Winco. You can buy any dry food for cheap without using any packaging at all if you reuse bags. In anticipation of moving sometime in the next few months I'm trying to use up all the food in our pantry so we don't have to move it. Now I have all kinds of grains staring me in the face.

The other night was barley risotto. Last night, a sort of chickpea stew over brown rice. I was worried what Brian would say about our 3rd vegetarian/vegan meal in a row. Luckily he came home starving and raved about it. I think I'll treat the poor guy with a roast chicken tonight. He always acts like its Christmas when there's a golden bird coming out of the oven.

not always "Good To Be Home"

2011-04-18T17:55:00.000-06:00

Last night we got back from a week of visiting my sisters in California. We're glad to be out of the car, but that's about it. Eli cried when it was time to go and I got teary too.

My sister in Switzerland was coming out and I was obviously going too. Every few years the three of us are actually together. A really big treat. Those of you close to family need to appreciate, just saying.

I took 300 pictures, but I'll spare you. Here's a summary.

The Drive

Haven't seen one of these in ages, probably so unsafe they're illegal.
Go to the city park in Winnemucca for a fix.

Just Another Sunday At Church

Muir Woods

Pier 39

Posing on the Ferry

California Academy of Sciences

Japanese Tea Garden

Eli loved this crazy bridge, went over 3 or 4 times.
Didn't mind hogging it from the other tourists.

China Town-
Brian's Only Request

Best store, Brian went crazy.

Not Pets, especially the quartered turtle

Dim Sum lunch where the locals go, New Asia.

Oldest Buddhist temple in SF, was worried Eli
was going to take an orange from the offering plates.

Brian's very own family name stamp.

Baker Beach

All the cousins

Loved the sand so much she wore it on her lips.

The End

Having a Sibling

2011-03-30T15:18:00.003-06:00

Enjoying her first lolly pop ever...

Enter brother....

The other day Eli did something to make Esme cry, like he does several times a day, and I picked her up for a hug and said "I'm sorry, sometimes it's hard having a big brother." Eli chimed in from his time out corner in the other room "and it's hard having a baby."

I never thought about it from his perspective. Now at least once a day he tells me why it's hard having a baby around the house. She makes messes, breaks things, doesn't share.

Yesterday we had a breakthrough. Sharing is one of his struggles and he painfully handed a toy that he liked over to Esme, without getting mad. When it was time for her to give it back he patiently held out his hand and asked for it. At first she yelled, then she pretended to give it to him a few times, and finally she gave it back. No force, no tears, no grabbing. Now we talk about how he can help me teach his little sister.

Wheat Grass Shake

2011-03-23T15:27:00.003-06:00

Relief Society Birthday

2011-03-18T10:28:00.000-06:00

I hope the ladies had a nice time last night. It's hard to tell when you're running around like a maniac. Luckily my two favorite things seemed to be everyone else's too. The centerpieces and the cake. In all my planning and blog surfing, I always end up on wedding blogs for ideas. This has to be the cheapest centerpiece ever.

Glass pie dishes, a little potting soil, food storage wheat sprouted, and 2 bunches of daisies, $4 each. Now what to do with all this wheat grass on my coffee table.

The day before the event the bishop's wife, a saintly lady with the same name as me, and I spent all day working on this cake. It was huge. 16 inch bottom layer and 12 on top. I made chocolate with chocolate mousse between the layers and ganache over the top. She made white cake with peaches and whipped cream between layers and white ganache over the top. I got the emblem printed at the bakery, edible ink on edible paper.

We kept running into legal issues. After trying to get around it, I found it's surprisingly easy to get a copyright release from the church. Like they're going to sue a bakery for a Relief Society cake! Anyway. The other Helena wanted the state/relief society flower, the sego lily, on the cake. Some wild bulb that won't bloom if you try to plant and whose flower is illegal to pick. She made some out of marshmallow. They worked better than the ones I spent many hours on. Tracing with royal icing.

So let me know if you need sego lilies or wheat grass. I've got them coming out my ears. Along with table cloths that need to be laundered.

Family History Bug

2011-03-11T15:55:00.003-07:00

Brian and I have got it. I think we were pretty much set up for it. Our mothers both gave us some amazing records, Brian works for familysearch.org (a new assignments is to actually research genealogy a few hours a month on the clock so he understands the needs of those using his programs), and his calling at church is to teach the family history consultants, who in turn teach the people in the ward how to research their own family history.

Brian got excited when he found records to go back another generation thanks to a 1920 New Mexico census. I'm currently thrilled because I asked my sister in Switzerland, who in turn asked an uncle for family pictures. This morning's email was full of amazing black and white pictures of people I've never seen, but are obviously relatives. I would love to find some stories behind them. Still trying to figure out who they all are. I'm sure it only matters to my sisters and me, but I'll include some.

My grandpa Max who died 10 years before I was born.

And his father Balthasar sitting in the middle with a mustache. I like how the only things on the menu behind are wurst and beer.

And his mother Berta, she looks so sweet. My favorite thing is the little boy in the eidelweiss suspenders.

It's amazing how easy computers are making this research. Not long before Esme was born I waddled my way downtown to the family history library, the best one on the earth and had a traumatizingly fruitless day. Hours hunched over a microfiche machine, getting dizzy, trying to read records in strange hand-writing and figure out 1800's Swiss abbreviations. I searched the possible church records and stopped when the lady said next was a census, taken door-to-door. No alphabetical order, just a guy walking down a street, stopping at each house to find their information. I walked away knowing only that "Jh." was short for Johann and that this must be why it's usually only old people that do this, they have time and, aparently, much more patience. The volunteers helping me were experts, I'm grateful for that.

Not to daunt anyone. Luckily many American records are online and keyword searchable thanks to all the indexing volunteers that read records and type them (which is done twice and checked a third time for accuracy) so census' and such are easily searched. That's how Brian found a new generation of great-great grandparents in a matter of minutes sitting on the couch. I wonder if it's more fulfilling to find information that way or the hard way.

Eli's New Smile

2011-03-10T14:50:00.002-07:00

I don't think I ever mentioned it here last winter, probably out of embarrassment, but Eli had cavities. The worst on his two front teeth from me not flossing them. I almost fell on the floor when Brian came home and told me "9". Shut up! That's what happens to kids that eat candy all day and go to sleep with bottles of soda. After going from disbelief, to anger at the "money gauger" dentist and then anger at myself, we got his teeth fixed all at once. It confused me because I always brush his teeth, never drank soda/juice, but he does have the same deep molars as I do. In the front teeth the cavities were pretty deep, but the dentist was able to save them with lots of work. I beat myself up, but at least they're just baby teeth. His front teeth were fixed and molars sealed while he snoozed away, never learning to fear dentists. In fact, he's excited to go.

Six months ago his teeth checked out fine. But two weeks ago I noticed that one was a little loose, just in time for his next appointment, but didn't worry since he didn't complain about pain. Apparently the nerve had died, there was infection, and his tooth was not longer connected to the root. To prevent the infection from spreading to other teeth he had to go on antibiotics and .... lose his front tooth. So, for the next two or three years, this will be his smile.

He carries his little tooth around like it's a toy and shows it to friends when he can. When we tried to prepare him by telling him his tooth had to come out he asked "Why? Me no brush my teeth, it turned black?" I try and scare him with the consequences, like my mom did to me, so he is happy to brush his teeth. I told a little white lie and said that he's getting bigger and that big kids lose their baby teeth.

Baby Gift Of Choice

2011-02-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

I've been avoiding the sewing machine since just after Christmas. I guess I traumatized myself with all the hand made gifts. Plus I finally got my desk clean and it pained me to think of cluttering it up again. But today was a babyshower for the saint-of-a-relief-society-counselor that helps me so much with my calling.

I've decided my new go-to baby gift is to lend the mom-to-be my favorite sewing book and let her pick. That way, after my hours of work, I know she will love it, and there's still a little bit of surprise since I decide on the fabric. So a couple of weeks ago I told her to pick something from the book and I sewed it up a couple of nights ago. She picked the best project in there, so I was excited. And she's European and loves modern, so figuring out fabric was easy.

The swaddler will be especially helpful if her little guy is anything like Esme. After a few weeks of life she started jolt herself awake with waving arms unless she was wrapped tight tight tight. The first time I made one of these she was 3 months old and strong enough to bust out of my tight double swaddle, so I was pretty frantic to get it done. This small contraption was in constant use and was critical for both of us to get good sleep, no matter how short the duration.

Wrapping gifts is very low, or not even on, my list of important things. I'm too practical, with money and time. So I used the spare brown paper that was inside a roll of Christmas paper and just sewed around the edges, which was easier than trying to form a shape of the soft contents and put tape who knows where. Walking to the shower I started regretting it, imagining all the cutesy blue bags with fluffy tissue paper, but for some reason people raved about it. Who knew.

Shoes

2011-02-18T15:26:00.001-07:00

I'm not opinionated about too many things, especially when it comes to clothes. But shoes, especially children's shoes, is where I really get picky. I don't know a thing about fashion or trends, I just can't bear to spend money on cheaply-made shoes, even for the kids, who are constantly growing. This week I finally found a pair of shoes good enough AND on sale, although they are technically boy shoes. Sorry Esme. I've been searching for some shoes for her that meet my criteria for so many months I almost gave in and paid full price at Nordstrom. Although I don't regret the last time I did that because Esme is wearing these hand-me-downs from Eli for a second winter.

I think my requests aren't asking too much. If sandals, they should cover the toes and hold on to the heel. Then they should have thin, flexible soles, be made of real leather, and have rubber that comes over the toes so they don't get scuffed the first time worn. I have to say, when I see little kids, say 3 or under, running around in flip flops, I cringe at the thought of them falling and scraping their knee. Even this nice brand of shoes makes baby shoes (up to 24 months) slippery on the bottom.

Luckily my kids seem to grow slowly, usually wearing a pair of shoes for a year. And the quality shoes hold up so well they can be used on kid after kid. (Although Brian would say there's no need for them to hold up for more than two kids). So far Keens and Crocs have been my go-to brands, although these Morgan & Milo's might be a new favorite. If anyone else knows of a good brand, I'd be happy to hear.

I guess Esme's been pretty spoiled with comfortable feet. when I put them on her the first couple of times, she cried and walked like she was wearing big clown shoes and tried to kick them off.

Speed Friending

2011-02-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

So being the Relief Society Activity Leader is my biggest calling yet, and last night was our first event. "Speed Friending." I have been stressing about this for a month. Anytime a thought about the activity would cross my mind, my stomach would do that nervous jump like when you're zooming down a steep hill on a roller coaster. To put myself at ease I tried to prepare as early as possible. Writing lists, party blog surfing, food planning, making decorations. This ended up adding pressure. I came across so many good ideas I wanted to do them all. Luckily I stopped short of fringing the streamers like this, but I was seriously tempted. I just felt like the ladies would have a better time if I would just put some extra effort into it instead of throwing something together last minute.

I was totally wrong. All I would have needed was a timer, couple of plates of cookies and water to drink. Instead I showed up with 4 bags full of junk. I made paper flowers (from here), confetti, felt bunting, set up a "photo booth", cooked up hot chocolate from scratch with various toppings (chocolate shavings, cinnamon, mint and peanut butter chips, and I whipped cream [after looking at the ingredient list on Reddi whip] for goodness sakes) and nobody even used them. Well, I pressured a couple of people into whipped cream and luckily the Relief Society President talked a few people into pictures. Okay. I think I'm done venting. The ironic thing is that one of the main reasons I picked Speed Friending was because of how simple it is.

The activity was a success, thank goodness. The ladies really seemed to enjoy themselves, judging by their smiles, animated talking, and how nearly impossible it was to get them to switch partners after the timer went ding.

I have definitely learned some things. First, groups of women need no entertainment, they're just happy talking. Second, don't plan more than one or two things. Getting everyone to be quiet and switch gears is a painfully slow process, and they were even surprised at how assertive I became. Third, don't stress about the fine details, they won't even notice them. This surprised me since I thought women have an appreciation for niceties.

I'm glad I learned this before the next activity. Supposed to be one of the bigger ones of the year. The Relief Society Birthday, for which I must make 130 formal invitations, figure out a sit down dinner (potluck not allowed), and invite the Stake RS President. Ahhh!!

If 40 is warm, then 50 is hot.

2011-02-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

This was yesterday, but I think we'll have to go take a Valentine's Day walk. I'm sure Eli will insist on another triple-decker slide run.

Landscape Photography Class

2011-02-14T15:00:00.001-07:00

I love community education. Take a cheap class, have an excuse to get out of the house. So my friend Wendy and I signed up together. I didn't learn much and I realized landscape isn't my thing. After the two classroom sessions we did two field sessions. This is why I was there. When else would I say "Brian, I'm driving up into the mountains to take pictures, you've got the kids for a few hours." Once we got there I realized I was more amazed by the beauty of the small things up close rather than the giant mountains. Thanks to the season it was a real adventure.

First was Little Cottonwood Canyon last week with snow up around my calves.

This past Saturday we went to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. The water flowing under the ice below my feet was my favorite thing. I loved finding clear patches of ice where the flowing water was visible. Luckily I didn't fall through. Although the teacher thought it was a good idea to have us take a trail up close to the falls. It proved too difficult and on our way down a lady behind me fell and slipped, and if it wasn't for a couple of leafless bushes to grab onto she would've slipped down the steep mountain to the riverbed. The last part of the trail proved too steep for all of us and we all just sad down rode the mountain down.

Guess Who's Teetering Around

2011-02-04T15:53:00.001-07:00

I would be more sad about my baby growing up, but seeing a 2 ft. tall person walking around is too cute. She started going more than a couple of steps a week ago. I cheer for her every time. I wonder how long she will be walking for before I stop.

Tracy Aviary

2011-01-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

Winter is boring. I figured this out the other day when I realized our only weekday excitement comes from going to visit Roxy. Most days its the only time we leave home. And then my sister made me jealous. We talked on the phone the other morning when it had snowed for hours and hours. On the other end of the line she was at the playground with her two-year old in 70 degree weather. I don't need 70, even 40 feels warm. So I picked today to use up an about-to-expire groupon for the Tracy Aviary since temperatures are above freezing and the pollution advisory doesn't start unti tomorrow.

It wasn't crowded, so that was good. And Esme loves to wear her mittens, and that helps. And most of the birds were out, which was surprising. I really felt sorry for the flamingos. Tropical birds surrounded by snow. The peacocks were fun to watch, wandering around the grounds. Esme got just as excited as she does seeing other animals.

although you can't tell here

The only one with enough sass to show his feathers was a teenager. Not so impressive,
but he wasn't self conscious.

The best part was feeding some parrots. I thought Eli would chicken out for sure, but he didn't.

In fact, he took his job quite seriously.

Walking Is Not The Problem

2011-01-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

For some reason people say you're in for trouble when your child starts walking. Totally untrue. When they start moving-rolling, crawling- that's when the trouble starts. Walking does not cause any problems, if anything it's extra cute seeing such a little person teetering around. Esme took her first steps the day after Christmas but only walks with assistance, like this grocery cart.

The real danger arises from a newfound desire to climb. She gets all kinds of places, especially when there's a step stool or big brother there to help.

This was her idea, and that is the clothes dryer.

She loves electronics. Access to the laptop got her to take her first steps. Now she has mastered climbing up the chair to beat up on the mouse and keyboard. She didn't climb up on the desk this time.

For now I can just keep chairs pushed in and the step stool put away, but soon she'll realize she can get them out to make more mischief.

Perfect Pet

2011-01-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

My visiting teachee recently got a puppy and needs someone to check in on her while she's at work. Eli loves our midday visits to Roxie. It must be enough for him because he doesn't ask for a dog.

We used to have a pet. Remember Charlie? I am sad to admit that I was relieved when the cat disappeared just before Esme was born. Eli was always beating up on the poor cat, I avoided petting him so his hair wouldn't get all over, and he was constantly making trouble. I hope he just went to a nicer family and that nothing bad happened to him.

I've learned that we are not pet people. I do not get woken up or clean up poop for an animal, only for humans, preferably babies.

So for 20 minutes a day Eli gets to pretend he has a dog. All I do is unlock the door, he runs in and lets her out to go potty, refills her food, and plays with her. So responsible. He loves her so much, talking in a sweet voice, saying things like "Bye Roxie-poo, see you tomorrow." Pure fun. No house-training or wimpers keeping us up all night. Definitely the perfect pet.

Esme's Quiet Book

2011-01-02T15:09:00.003-07:00

I'm a week late, but happy with the result. Little bit fun, little bit educational.

Decorate snowman, easter egg, and pumpkin with cutouts from pocket.
Looks like I need a carrot nose and coal eyes. Expanded idea from here.

Cat and dog share a house, but not food. Thank you craft store for the cat/dog
cutouts.

Mini fishing game, super-strong magnets make it a little too easy.

Eyelets help the hands move and hopefully make it harder for them to get ripped off.

My favorite page. Mama sits in a chair,

reads baby a story, and puts her to bed. Mama/baby copied from here.

Button flowers (I've still never sewn a button hole on the sewing machine).

Match shapes and snap on/off.

Ideas Please

2010-12-31T11:44:00.001-07:00

I have a new calling at church, and I'm pretty excited about it. I was new to the Enrichment Committee in Relief Society and a couple of weeks ago they called me as the leader. I'm looking forward to it because I have tons of ideas -copied- that I think all the ladies will love. I already have the year planned, I think (haven't had a meeting where they explain my calling yet) there are 4 big activities and small monthly ones as well as special interest groups, like playgroups, walking groups, a book club, etc.

The first big activity (AND THERE WILL BE BABYSITTING AT EVERY ACTIVITY! even if I have to bribe the husbands with cookies) will be speed friend shipping, thanks for the idea Anna! It will be perfect for our not-so-friendly ward that has lots of people moving in and out. Us old-timers will actually learn about the ladies we've said hello to in the halls for years, newbies will meet everyone, and shy people will have a reason to talk.

Apparently a summer social is a tradition and I'll have to figure out a super-Saturday craft day before a Christmas something. Maybe going out and volunteering instead of sitting around listening to the Christmas story.

I would love to stress learning new things for the monthly get-togethers: canning, sewing, crochet, knitting, gardening, etc. There are lots of talented/older ladies that can teach and plenty of newly marrieds/young moms that would like to learn.

The main reason for this post is to ask for your ideas. If you've had any fun/educational activities, please let me know.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have Brian's parents here; apparently Christmas is quite boring for empty-nesters. Eli was as happy as I've seen him with Grandpa as his playmate for all his waking hours. He also made a gingerbread house with grandma, her artistic talent and Eli's careful, detail-oriented nature produced a beauty we haven't been able to eat yet. Esme really took to opening presents, even ones that weren't hers.

It was a perfect Christmas with family. The kids were angels, no melt-downs and warmed up to Grandma and Grandpa quickly. We're so glad they came and are sad it's over.

Brian, As Of Late

2010-12-19T11:12:00.002-07:00

Waiting for Eli to finish decorating his gingerbread man

at the Swiss Christmas Celebration in Midway.

How about a Brian update. He has some serious Christmas spirit. I'm more stressed about getting gifts made and he's constantly wrapping presents (even the ones in the stockings!), making gingerbread, reading Eli Christmas stories and even wants the two of us to read The Christmas Carol together. I know he said he's make a cookbook for our family gift to people, and even though it didn't happen, he did spearhead Project Christmas Cards which will be coming soon.

I'm glad he's now taking a couple week break from Soo Bahk, the 3 evenings a week it kept him out late, 8 being late for me. But in the Spring he will be hosting his region's Black Belt Test, in which 4 of his students are testing for their black belt. This will be his first generation and he's working hard to make sure they're the best candidates the testing board has seen. He's having a party soon where the 5 of them come to our house, eat Korean food, watch his first black belt test and go over their forms and board breaking and such. Hosting the test in Salt Lake will be another ordeal, arranging transportation, lodging, restaurant for a banquet, and sign-ups as well as gifts for the Masters (testing board) from Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, and Montana. No stress.

At work he's in charge of film-ordering so people around the world can get geneological records in the form of micro-film/fiche sent to them and he just launched, quite smoothly, in Europe.

When the Bishop was looking for a calling for him at church, I warned him that eventhough he works at familysearch.org, he DOES NOT DO GENEOLOGY. We were worried when he got his calling, but aparently the Bishop really does know what he's doing since Brian will be the "family history consultant" that teaches the class, so people can learn the process and new technology to help them. If hard questions come up he can just ask the experts at work. The other older guy with more experience actually searching and compiling family names are the actual consultants there to help people in the ward.

In his spare time on the weekends he's helping me out by cleaning the bathrooms, taking the kids, and making dinner. Isn't he too good to be true?

Temple Square Photowalk

2010-12-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Eli Lately

2010-12-12T22:37:00.003-07:00

Eli's surprising us a lot too these days. Mostly because his speech is improving and he's finally saying those crazy things that little kids say. Like "Me yes want to go temple and marry Kitty," or just when I thought he'd be bothered by a lumpy batch of cream of wheat he said "mmm, squishy rocks" but these things don't happen too often because he's still a quiet, almost serious kid, with occasional goofiness. He loves to take care of his sister, although when she's "on the crawl" he always closes the door to his room so she doesn't wreck anything. If I need to get something done I'll have him "watch" her in her room with the door closed to keep her away from the stairs. Her room is usually a disaster when I return, but the other day it wasn't. I was so appreciative. I kept saying "Eli, thanks you so much for watching Esme and not making messes so I could clean the kitchen" and he looked down at it and said "thanks for cleaning your kitchen mom." His manners are amazing these days. After two years of training he consistently says thanks for whatever meal he just ate and puts his dishes by the sink. I love it! Finally some appreciation, forced or sincere I'm not sure, after 4 years of doing everything for this kid, not that I need it, it just feels nice. His sweet words are often melting us.

His toys of choice lately? Trains, as always, and a trio of stuffed animals-rat, cat, and dog. Of course his absolute favorite "toy" is a fish his dad caught that he can splash around with in the sink. I wonder if he even sees his kitchen and play food as a toy or if he really thinks he's cooking. He loves to play lions with his dad, where they reinact some sort of Simba/Scar battle. A real treat is to do Soo Bahk (martial arts) with Brian. He takes his turn telling his dad which stretch or kick to do. He just finished a tumbling tots class that I hoped would get him ready to begin martial arts in January. Change is hard for him and I thought the class structure and physical activity would be a good warm up for the timid boy about to start Brian's loud/serious martial arts class. We better talk it up. Brian will be so sad if he refuses to do it.

And Christmas, I must talk about it. He must've inherited his excitement for Christmas from his dad who loves all the decorating and movies and songs. He's waiting patiently for the day, reminding us each day to open that day's drawer in the advent calendar. And it's not just the candy or toy that he wants, he loves the song and scripture too. Also, he's very consistent, having us sing the same two songs for nap and bed time for the past year and he just recently wished for Jingle Bells to join the mix. The other night Brian was noisily wrapping some presents and the boy came in to say we were being too loud when he spied a book. I stopped him, saying it was his Christmas present and so he chewed Brian out for leaving the presents out and ran to the closet to hide it. He's very excited for Grandma and Grandpa to come and sleep at our house for Christmas.

Learning. He has a better memory than me. I will only tell him something once or twice and its in there. We're working on the alphabet, how to write it and the sounds the letters make and it's really teaching me patience. For some reason the second I start he gets hyper and starts bouncing all over. I have to get him to focus, stay positive and make it fun. So far he loves stars as a reward next to a nicely-written letter. And I started closing my eyes while he wrote the letter because it was just too painful to watch, but turned out to be another way to make his writing lessons fun, he likes surprising me with his creation. Wish us luck. Tomorrow is D.

I imagine he will be a good student since he's very thorough with whatever he does and is reserved in his class at church. Hopefully he inherits homework habits from his dad who used to start an assignment as soon as he got it, where as I would wait until midnight the night before it was due.

Tonight we realized he's growing up when he insisted on sitting away from us with his friend Curt and got mad at Brian for kissing him in front of his friend. It better not get much worse than that. We're pretty attached.

Esme These Days

2010-12-12T17:17:00.002-07:00

Esme's been growing up so much these days. It all goes down hill after the first haircut. Luckily, and obviously, growing up doesn't necessarily involve getting less cute. Now that she's getting bigger, her friendly personality is coming out more. Whenever someone compliments her on her distracting adorableness, she always gives them a big smile, like she knows what they're saying. A few weeks ago, she got the ultimate compliment, one I never thought I would actually hear. The owner/chef of our most-visited Korean restaurant actually said that Esme is cuter than her own little daughter.(!) I still can't believe she said it, and I don't think it was just so we'd order an appetizer. I could go on about this subject all day, but I'd better move on.

As far as eating goes. I've made a new discovery. If I get her starving hungry, as in wait an hour or two after she wakes for a meal instead of feeding her right away, she will eat at least twice as much. It's so amazing. She grunts and leans for that buttery cream of wheat like it's the best thing she's ever eaten. And she even LETS ME SPOON FEED HER. It's pretty much exhilarating when she opens for a greasy bite of mush. "Honey, watch this!" and we both sit back amazed.

And learning. The copying has begun. She is speaking so soon, trying to repeat almost any word we emphasize to her. Today, on her own, she said "moe" when her buttery cinnamon cooked apples were gone. Today at church, Esme noticed a wife rubbing her husband's back, so she leaned forward and rubbed his back too. And a couple of weeks ago, I was spying on the kids during a prayer and realized she was folding her arms! One little hand placed on top of the other. She does it all the time now. She must be trying to melt us, just like she's kissing up to the nice people that compliment her. Books are her favorite thing, and books with animals are her most favorite. Especially when we make the silly sounds. So far she moos like a cow and pants like a puppy.

Play. Her favorite hangout is the stairs. Not to use them to go up to her room or down to Eli's. After she melts me during the prayer, and excites me by eating well, she tries to give me a heart attack by climbing on the stairs. I take her up or down and she just gets right back on. When we block them she gets mad. So the second half of dinner I'm usually on the stairs with her and my plate of food. She does love a roudy game of peek-a-boo with her dad, although her tiny hand usually just covers her nose. Brian loves to hold her arms up and point out that her hands barely reach over her head.

We love having this girl around. I can't believe how lucky I am to be with her all day long. She's starting to get a little clingy and I don't even mind, especially since she prefers me to her dad. Sorry Bri. I always smirk when he has to hand her back.

Whoooo-Whooooo

2010-12-09T14:29:00.001-07:00

Eli wants an owl for Christmas and has been into the bird/egg/nest idea. So I copied another idea from someone on Etsy. It was just too perfect. I added the little bark texture and a couple of wooden eggs. Brian says I should make these things to sell. Only problem...it took me so long I'd want to sell it for like $50. The lady on Etsy, only $30. A steal. Now I know.

Puppets!

2010-12-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

So a couple of days ago my friend Wendy invited us to her girls' (twins) birthday party today. For gifts I like to ask what the birthday kids are into so my hard work is more likely appreciated. Even better, Wendy said she was making the girls a puppet theater for Christmas and that puppets would be good, so the girls get a present and mom can check a couple of things off her to-do list. I went to my favorite craft blog roundup and entered in "puppet" and found the best tutorial, stopped looking as soon as I found it. The amazingly talented/creative lady at Just Another Day In Paradise put an Old McDonald Puppet tutorial for a competition. I love all the detail, even the back of the animals are fun.

Okay, gotta get ready for the party.

Bangs

2010-11-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

So Esme's started pulling the out the clips containing her thick locks. Of course, the clips go right in her mouth. I don't look forward to first haircuts, I got teary during hers and Eli's, but without one I have to choose between ragamuffin and choking hazards. So yesterday I gave in.

This Picture makes me wish I hadn't.

Watching Baby Einstein

My First Super-Saturday

2010-11-20T15:48:00.001-07:00

So, my new calling at church is on the enrichment committee, planning activities and crafts for us ladies to do once a month or so. They asked me to come up with something inexpensive for the "Super-Saturday" (craft extravaganza) and I decided on this Matchbox Advent Calendar by Martha. I made one a couple years ago for Anna and never got around to making one for my own family. I found a talk on lds.org and wrote up little devotionals for each day.

Amy amazed us all when she came up with this design. I could barely copy the simply lines of the Christmas tree.

So for $2.50 they went home with a meanful new family tradition and about 800 matches.

It'll be fun watching Eli's eyes bug out as he opens one drawer each day to find a new treat.

HeartFELT Christmas

2010-11-16T15:55:00.004-07:00

Doubling my felt stash recently has got me downright giddy. The possibilities are endless. I'm trying to make most of my Christmas gifts and there are so many things to do with felt, I can't even pick which ornaments or colors for a garland.

Christmas preparation is in full swing around here, and I haven't even considered the Thanksgiving menu. I can't blame it on the music in the stores because it started before that. The longer I'm a mom, the more I realize I must plan ahead. Start packing up an hour before I actually want to leave, brainstorm holiday projects months in advance. Or maybe it's just the cold weather. Whatever the cause, I've started, and the cute, easy things that can be done with felt are only fueling my early crafting. It doesn't take sewing skills or even a machine. Some needle, thread, inexpensive felt and I can work while Brian watches a movie. It still counts as husband time even if I'm sewing, right?

Well, here are my plans so far.

For the visiting teachees (all 5 of them!) I'm thinking of making a poinsettia clip like this one that can decorate their hair, a shirt, or a gift.

Brian and I are both wishing he had an i-pad/book/phone/pod, me so I could whip up a cover for it. Better buy one so I can make a cool cover. Nah. I'll just make a picture frame like this.

The kids will be the most work. Since Esme's favorite task at church is to empty all purses within her reach, I thought I'd sew her a little bag filled with purse-y things- keys, make-up mirror (obviously not in my bag, but), phone, and wallet complete with credit cards. I'm up for more ideas if anyone has any. I guess the wallet will be the only felt thing inside since kids prefer real things, like an actual cell phones to a toy phone.
I love how the other moms are happy to let her dig through their bags and the ladies without kids guard their purses like she's going to steal/break everything inside. Hopefully her "first purse" will set them at ease.

Eli's list is long. Well, it wasn't too long until he decided his toys wanted toys for Christmas. He was only going to require a toy owl (which I will copy this beautiful idea since he's obsessed with the bird, nest, egg idea), but then he came in with his stuffed mouse, then cat, then dog and asked each one what they want for Christmas. Luckily he translated for them and told me they each want a baby. To add to the owl and mouse/dog/cat babies I'm including something I want him to have.

A mini baking set. I bought a several miniature baking supplies- bundt pan, tart pan, and 6 super-tiny ones for cupcakes and even a little wooden kitchenaid mixer. My first project, which I'm in the middle of is to make a little tart, cake, cookies and cupcakes for him to bake. So far the felt pear tart and sugar cookies are done.

Now for a lemon bundt cake. Better get working. Precious double nap time is burning.

Oh, and if anyone else wants to start a felt addiction, here's a good place to look: Felt-o-rama.

Ice

2010-11-12T09:03:00.001-07:00

My stubborn, independent Esme has gotten more so. I didn't think it was possible.

I gave up spoon-feeding her a couple of weeks ago because it was so draining for me. Instead I have to deal with grease smeared all over her and everything in her reach after every self-fed meal of buttered bread, noodles, veggies, or tofu. I realized I must be learning patience, because I was never able to do this with Eli. I can even give Esme a bowl of cream of wheat and a spoon. I try not to watch, but I'm learning to give in to messiness.

But, about spoon-feeding, I tried again just before her 1 year Dr. appointment (and the all-important weigh in) and it was even harder. Impossible. Toys, no toys, letting her feed me while I feed her, following her around the house with a spoon. Nothing worked. She insists on using her own fork, and often prefers to steal my grown-up fork.

There is one exception. Ice cream. I sit on the floor with a bowl and she crawls up for bites. She also loves ice cubes. At restaurants when she's done eating (and I've just started) and wants to get down and crawl all over the dirty floor I can buy some time by fishing ice cubes out of my cup for her. I've been contemplating freezing milk cubes.

Yesterday, after several hours of freedom and browsing (I will never take browsing for granted again) at Michaels and Tuesday Morning, I came home to my amazing husband who'd done the dishes, made dinner, and had the genius idea to feed Esme half-thawed pear sauce. She thought it was ice cream and let her dad spoon feed her like a normal baby! What is this infatuation with frigid food?

In related news. The girl, at one year and one week is 28 1/4 inches (21%) tall, 101/2 inch head (0%) and weighed exactly 15 pounds, still 0%, but enough improvement to keep the doctor from worrying more. Woohoo, 14 ounces in 7 weeks! Although now we have an appointment with a pediatric gastro-intest....inologist or something.

FarAwayFamily

2010-11-09T23:12:00.004-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

I've been meaning to make a book of family members so the kids don't treat them like strangers the few times they see them. Nothing to get me motivated like a coupon code for a free book. Check yourselves out, I think you're all in there.

Idaho Falls

2010-11-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend the kids and I left Brian to go visit my mom 4 hours away. Being a single mom for two days pooped me out. The kids were good traveler's and had a great time.

Meet Sophie

2010-11-04T08:54:00.000-06:00

Brian really wanted to name Esme Sophie. I just couldn't give in when it was on the top 10 list. The name of Esme's first doll counts for something, right? We'll see what he says.

I've been excited about making it since I saw this tutorial months ago, I don't have serious style and sewing skills like that lady, but I tried. I didn't even have to buy anything to make her, the gold dress came from a DI bed skirt whose center became those reusable produce bags months ago. I bet when she's a teenager she will be so annoyed with me wanting to make everything.

But on her first birthday she greeted her with several slobbery kisses and trying to pick her eyes off. A good sign, since that's what she does (or tries to do) when she excitedly meets other babies.

Esme Turns 1

2010-11-03T22:36:00.004-06:00

A little swimming, eating out, few presents, and cake. I was excited to try this Korean tradition where you place several objects in front of a baby on their first birthday to see what they grab. Esme grabbed the bracelet, paint brush, and money. Aparently she will be fashion conscious, artistic, and rich. My favorite part of the night was listening to Eli's soft voice as he sang Happy Birthday and watching Esme laugh while Brian played with her.

As for what we know for sure about this girl.

She is so friendly. She reaches out to strangers and if they're nice enough to take her she honks their nose. If she really likes you she'll lick your face, which I have only seen a couple of times.

Adventurous. Not as cautious as her older brother, at least she she thinks about something she wants to do before she does it. Today it was crawling forward toward the play structure into the water as it got deeper and deeper and her face went under.

Easy. The first 6 months were tiring, but now she sleeps 10-12 hours and takes two long naps. She's independent, preferring to crawl around and explore to sitting in my arms. Flexible. She doesn't start whining once it's time to eat or sleep, but waits pretty patiently.

Loves animals and babies. I have to get it on video. This high pitched screech/laugh comes out when she touches a dog or our neighbor's pet pig. Babies get smiles, a face touch, and even a lick.

Prefers to feed herself. She's loved the introduction of a fork. And her favorite foods seem to be cheese, tomatoes, PB&J, and tonight's spaetzle.

Can't wait to learn more.

All night I've been imagining where I was a year ago. I get teary just thinking about it. Every day we're grateful for this angel girl and love her more. I don't deserve such sweetness, but I'll take it.

Tweet, tweet

2010-10-28T22:29:00.002-06:00

Esme's going to be a bird for her first Halloween. I was smitten when I saw the idea on Martha. And it gave me motivation to make this cute hat I saw a tutorial for a while back too. She gives up trying to take it off since it's im-possible. I can see myself getting addicted to making these. Another great project to use up scraps. Why am I trying harder with two kids. I'm supposed to be doing things to make my life easier.

Cutest baby bird ever! Totally worth it.

Family Pictures

2010-10-28T11:28:00.002-06:00

Saturday we got family pictures taken. In my searching for a photographer I found an ad and recognized the family in the portfolio. A friend from the ward is starting up a photography business. I couldn't be more pleased. We were able to be comfortable at home with a friend behind the camera. Jed did a great job and I"m jealous of his photoshop skills. Thanks Jed! You can check out his site here and the rest of our family pictures here.

1st Snow

2010-10-27T15:33:00.000-06:00

I'm sure every Utah mommy blogger is doing a post on the snow we all woke up to today. It was just so thick, which doesn't happen often. And Eli is finally liking it. Last year he said it was too cold and only went out once for a few minutes. Today he was excited to show it to doggy and helped his furry friend climb trees and dig for bones in the snow. I hope it keeps coming, not just so my sister will drive out from California to go skiing, but so winter is fun, not just dark and cold. I love how experiencing things with a child makes everything magical again- Halloween, Christmas, animals, puddles, trains, bugs...snow.

The Big 0-4

2010-10-24T22:40:00.000-06:00

Eli has been waiting impatiently for his birthday since his dad's a month ago when he had to give presents, cake and sing to somebody else. His wishes were surprisingly simple. A toy turtle, pancakes, a hard-boiled egg, hot dogs, and a brown cake with green ice cream. I suppose I should start using the names of flavors, not just the colors. Last night we took him out for a couple of things he didn't think to ask for. Brazilian food and a dinosaur museum.

"Eli 4"

Chocolate chips are hard to read.

This morning he woke up to several of his wildest dreams. Banana-chocolate-chip pancakes, chocolate milk, and a hard boiled egg. Sometimes I wonder if the only way I know how to spoil someone is with food. Well, Esme was also a fan of his mac-n-cheese with hot dog lunch.

The climax for him was singing "Happy Birthday" and having his cake, which he wanted ocean-themed with a turtle on top. He didn't even notice the tortoises we bought don't actually swim in the sea. He's so detail-oriented, I can imagine him being bothered by such a mistake in the future.

He's been the same since he was a small baby- shy, cautious, clingy, and even obedient, yet goofy and hyper when comfortable at home. Lately he's become quite the story teller. Tonight's tall tale was his reason for not wanting to go to school. Apparently there are monsters there. One followed him home and died outside the window. If you're lucky enough to be on the other side of one of his phone conversations you will hear a long, colorful story. Still trying to figure out if he's lying or making up stories.

It's been so long since he was small, it's hard to believe he was a tiny baby. So here are some pictures from around each birthday up to now.

I love you, my little man.

Chore Chart

2010-10-19T17:20:00.002-06:00

I still haven't figured out if Eli is lucky or not. This is his hand-made present from mom for his birthday coming up Sunday. I thought of a chore chart many months ago in an attempt to teach the little guy about time (days of the week), work, money, tithing, independence, patience, etc. I looked around online and couldn't find anything good to copy- my preferred method of brainstorming. I wanted something visual, making it a little more fun, easier for a non-reader, and versatile. Dishes could be, setting the table or helping put dishes away. Clothes couuld be folding, sorting, or putting away. Anyway, I hit a snag and the pieces have been laying on my desk for months. Today I finally finished it.

The magnetic strip my sister gave me years ago has come in handy again. So hot glue holds the felt figures together and the magnets on, which hold them to the magnetic strip. The chores to be done will be on a small bottom strip and each day, he does a chore and moves its felt representation up under the day of the week. Don't worry, he's not working too hard. Sunday is church/rest and Saturday is Pay Day.

Squeek, Squeek!

2010-10-14T13:55:00.003-06:00

munch....munch

We were excited this year when we realized Eli finally understands Halloween, picking out a costume, building up to the day, not just the immediate gratification of trick-or-treating. I showed him some Martha costumes and he came up with his own. He loves mice, has lost 3 of his 4 stuffed rodents because he takes them everywhere. A couple of days ago I sewed up some ears, nose, and a tail with felt. I couldn't find any tutorials, so this is what I came up with. What do you think, does it need something more? Maybe a round of felt on the belly? Is the nose piece too big? His cheese sack is my favorite part of the whole thing. I feel like a genius when I see it. Haha.

Home Canning

2010-10-13T17:22:00.002-06:00

I can't imagine ever being bored as a stay-at-home mom. Even when the kids get bigger. Then I will do things like home-made bread and pasta. There's so much I want to learn and make. So my nice friend Wendy had us over last week to show me the ropes of home canning. I've been too scared up to now, worried I'd give us botulism or something. Jam/jelly seems to be the easiest, thank goodness. Processing (boiling), after the jars are filled isn't even necessary, like with fresh fruit.

Sadly I didn't get a picture of Wendy or the buckets of concord grapes she brought from her mom's garden, but here's the juice coming out of the steamer. Then it was cooked with sugar and pectin and went into hot jars. I halfed the sugar, despite warnings on the box, and it set up perfectly with a little extra boiling. I was happy to learn on something that didn't require the post-processing or a pressure cooker, needed for vegetables and such. I have scary visions of sealed jars exploding. Yikes. Baby steps.

Eli gasped when he saw Wendy's garden. It was cute. I've been trying to get him excited about growing vegetables. I gasped when I saw how much basil, lemongrass, and heirloom tomatoes she sent us home with. We've been eating plenty of caprese, pesto, and even some Thai chicken soup. Wendy also told me about a book by a woman that only ate what she grew or got from the local farmer's market for 1 year. Not sure if I could ever do that. It's a lot of work, self sufficiency. I knew that, but realized a little better that you can't be wimpy. While plucking grapes I squeeled a few times when I found earwigs making their way up my hand.

I'm hoping to do lots of homework on gardening so things will go as smoothly as possible when the time comes. Natural pest control, where to plant what, what grows well here, best way to water, etc. So I'm grateful for Wendy's advice.

So today I'm excited to have canned by myself for the first time. Making my own batch of grape jelly. Each pop of the lids going down was a relief. It worked! Now I definitely sound crazy to experienced canners and those with no interest, which probably represents everyone.

Butter Diet Update

2010-10-11T22:20:00.001-06:00

So, it's been a week and half since visiting the dietician. I'm relieved I don't have to weigh all her food anymore. It was stressing me out, but now I'm stressed thinking now I have a list of things to do to get more weight on her, but what if I can't do it. Somehow I have to double or triple her milk intake, add formula and microlipids to pumped milk, hold her down to take an antihistimine (no she has to allergies, but it has the side effect of increased hunger, which I've yet to notice) and get her to gain 15-30 ounces a month.

After eating her meals dripping with butter her clothes, high chair, table, her hair are smeared with grease. At first I looked forward to the clinical feeding evaluation the dietician recommended. Finally, people will understand how hard it is to feed this child. But I haven't scheduled it because I know she eats enough (as long as I have enough toys and games to coax each bite in), she just doesn't drink enough. The dietician noticed she's a very content baby. Who knew an easy-going baby could cause so much worry. Lets pray for a more demanding, needy girl.

Tonight

2010-10-11T21:57:00.001-06:00

11 Months

2010-10-03T21:25:00.000-06:00

Documentaries

2010-09-30T12:25:00.001-06:00

I love all the documentaries on Netflix instant watch. Perfect way to get people's messages out. I lean toward the serious ones. First was Food Inc. Then, when Brian left for a while last month I picked a few for the queue that might be too heavy for him. He's a softie.

Sometimes I hear people say "I don't watch the news, it's too depressing." Outrageous!

Maybe learning about horrible things going on doesn't drain me as much as others. It definitely changes me, but hopefully to appreciate my own life more and find a way to help others. Locally or globally. With money or time. All of the above.

So while he was gone I watched The Devil Came On Horseback, it's about Darfur. I've always wanted to know the situation. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know much about history or current events.

A couple of weeks ago was Beyond Belief about two 9/11 widows from Boston raising money and awareness to help hundreds (of the hundreds of thousands) of widows in Afghanistan be able to sustain themselves and hopefully be a hand in peace and their own healing.

Brian picked one last night, by National Geographic about North Korea. Especially disturbing. We just wanted to grab those starving babies right out of the TV.

It all boils down to change. How does it come about? Who can make the decisions? What does it take to get leaders to act? What is the best action? Being in a high up position in powerful governments must be quite a burden. Having knowledge and the ability to act, but maybe not knowing the best thing to do. And how to get re-elected, another heavy one on their minds.

So, if anyone has any other documentary recommendations. Doesn't have to be depressing..

Golden Boy

2010-09-29T07:43:00.004-06:00

(will flip as soon as I figure out how)

So Brian turns 28 today, on the 28th. Very big deal, right? I think he's happy that I didn't make the biggest deal about it. I did insist on the traditional flourless cake, made of only melted chocolate, eggs, and butter. I didn't realize he was so shy that he even took his birthday off Facebook and Skype so he wouldn't get any attention. Luckily we surprised him work with these cupcakes for him to share. We were a little sad that none of those nerdy guys would notice the gourmetness of chocolate cupcakes, topped with chocolate mousse and ganache. Oh well.

I had to bring balloons to embarrass him just a little.

Cubicle Party.

I knew he would prefer a quiet night at home, rather than socializing and entertaining. So it was just the 4 of us.

Eli ended up giving him the best present of all. I had him color a picture, tell me a message to write, and then told him to sign his name. I figured it would be a little squiggle, but he actually WROTE HIS NAME! We've never even shown him how to write letters.

Brian was so excited he started the boy on a writing lesson before we even had any cake. It was so exciting. He told Eli that was the best present ever.

And Esme? She practiced for her big day in a month or so.

Happy birthday to the best husband and dad ever.

Esme's Diet

2010-09-23T14:00:00.002-06:00

Distracted

Done

The Butter Diet, I call it. She has been riding the growth curve on the 5th percentile line, but at her 9 month appointment she was 14 pounds 1 1/2 ounces, only one pound more than she was at 6 months, and below the line. It's normal for their weight gain to slow down at this point because they get so active, but the doctor showed some concern and told me to feed her as much as I could and come back for a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks. I was surprised, figuring she was eating enough since she slept 12 hours at night. She prefers to feed herself, but the most fattening stuff, like her cream of wheat with equal parts cream of wheat to butter and heavy cream, I had to do.

Today was the weigh-in. They called us so fast I didn't have time to get her last snack in her. I've been doing my best to feed her more often, give her toys to distract her while I try and get bites in, and load every mushy bite with butter, heavy cream, and momma's milk. It became the most stressful part of my day. Each bite felt like a struggle and triumph. And the result? 3 ounces! So she's now 14 pounds 4 ounces after 6 weeks of the Butter Diet. The doctor now wants us to go see a dietitian....at Primary Children's Hospital. The location freaked me out a bit. Can I just tell her, she's a small girl, she's developing fine, what is all this going to accomplish? I talked to another mom this past week, a doctor actually, whose daughter was tiny too. She said some kids just fill out later than others. When is it appropriate to say "Actually, Doc, I think she's fine."? Or will she call DCFS saying I'm starving my child and refusing medical treatment?

I wonder if the Butter Diet would have a similar affect on me.

House

2010-09-22T09:21:00.004-06:00

We still love our condo after 3 years. We've definitely made it our own- painting every room, adding curtains, tile in several places, new flooring. There's plenty of space, we're near the freeway, nice views, close to many attractions and shopping, two playgrounds near, quiet neighbors, tons of storage, etc. And when we signed up for the CSA I thought, this is perfect, no need to ever have a yard or garden and all the work that comes with it.

But I now feel the opposite way. Brian and I dream about having a nice big yard, fun for the kids and a place for a serious garden. We think about what we want to grow and what kind of fruit trees would be best. I want the kids to grow up having a garden, learning to work and love fruits and vegetables.

I've been thinking about a house for quite a while, but not wanting to move "just because." I want a good reason to sell the condo and find a house (keep this place spotless, leave the house for showings [if there are any], figure out where to live in between, cleaning, packing, unpacking, living with everything packed...hmmm maybe I'm changing my mind now). I thought about my reasons and realized almost all have a green influence.

Live in town

-less commute for Brian

-to be in walking distance of necessities like school and a grocery store, and therefore go down to one car

-live in a city that makes recycling easy

Have a yard

-garden with a compost, I think about it several times a day as I throw away veggie scraps

-to be able to line dry cloth diapers in the sun, they require germ-killing from a hot dryer or the sun

-safe place outside where the kids can play while I work

School

-find a good school and hopefully be able to afford something in its boundaries

-live in the neighborhood for a while before Eli starts elementary school so he starts with friends

Last night we went to Curt's grandma's house. Eli was so excited he didn't know what to do first, climb the apple tree, drive the power wheel truck, jump on the trampoline or pick grapes. No plans yet, but we're hoping for a house in the next year.

Sunset Photowalk

2010-09-19T22:17:00.001-06:00

My friend Annette and I got a break from the kids last night and went to a photowalk to hopefully get some good shots of the Salt Lake Valley from the hills above Draper. The professionals were so nice, walking around to answer questions and give tips. I was sad there were no clouds for extra color. Tonight there were clouds. Clouds from smoke. Here's the view from my bedroom a few minutes ago of the fire now spreading over the same mountains.

Grow Your Own Sprouts

2010-09-17T13:19:00.002-06:00

Update. Well, here's a recipe, but I didn't have the same ingredients, so I just did this:

Finely chopped/minced 1/4 onion, 4 mushrooms, one carrot and stems of bok choy sauteed in sesame oil until tender. Added a little salt and microplaned ginger. Turned off heat and added finely chopped leaves from bok choy, basil, and sprouts.

Dipping Sauce: equal parts soy sauce and water. Dash of rice vinegar and a little ginger.

Now that I have tofu I'll add that in. Apparently you just smoosh a block of extra-firm.

I'm so glad my friend Wendy gave me the idea to grow sprouts. Such an easy, cheap way to keep anti-oxidant and protein rich veggies on hand. I thought it would be great for Eli to learn about seeds, watch their development, and be able to enjoy the fruits of his (minimal) labor very quickly. These took 3 or 4 days and were so simple to grow. Soak overnight, and rinse every 12 or 24 hours. Piece of cake since the perferated top (cheese cloth, special lid, or mesh) which allows air in also makes rinsing and straining quick.

Last night they went into this pot-sticker filling. Sorry, no picture of the final product, we at them too fast. I wonder if Brian even noticed there was no meat.

2010-09-15T13:00:00.002-06:00

I don't know what's come over me. I feel like a pregnant woman nesting or a squirrel preparing for the upcoming change in seasons. I am neither one of those, but seeing all the fruit and vegetables in season right now is making me want to buy extra and store for winter. Probably because I just read this book.

I've heard several times that the most important way to reduce your impact on the environment is to eat what's local and in season. It's more crucial than the kind of car you drive or the light bulbs in your lamps. It's also the healthiest option. Freezing keeps more of the vitamins than canning. Add in the fact that I have never canned anything and you get this:

Our new freezer. Brian was very proud of himself for finding it 75% off. Eli was so excited about finding it this morning that he started filling it right away. Then we went to a Rojas Farm about a mile away. The fabulousness we get from the CSA is not quite enough for us now, so I needed to get extra to freeze. It's not necessarily organic, but they only spray the corn with pesticides, so I went a little crazy.

Most of the pears were a little dinged up (unlike these ones on top), so I asked for a discount and and the lady just gave them to me. She even held Esme while I shopped. She said we could go out and take cucumbers too, since they decided not to pick them. Maybe next time. We'll go back when they get more peaches, another Brian request.

Just Another Trip To The Fair

2010-09-14T21:35:00.002-06:00

Nothing special, really. Just a Monday night visit to the State Fair. First came the all-you-can-eat ice cream ($3) tent, then the mini farm, then running into the prophet, and onto some bunny rabbits.

That would be the back of Eli's head in the second to last picture. He gave President Monson his usual I-don't-know-you frown and ran back to me. AHHHH!!!! Curt was more friendly.

Lesson of the day: You never know who you'll run into in the pigeon exhibit, so don't skip it.

Saying Goodbye

2010-09-14T14:56:00.006-06:00

So you all know who Seth and Carrol are by now. They were our soon-to-be neighbors that we met the day before we got married. They helped us move in and promised to think about us at 12:45 (time of our sealing) the next day. If we had known what good friends we were going to be we would've invited them to the wedding.

They were between housing contracts (getting ready to move to Ohio for grad school) and needed a place to sleep the last couple weeks of August. We were happy to be able to see them a little extra before they left. Eli and Emi were especially giddy. Here are a few things they did together.

And the best for last:

"Hold hands to cross the street" meant each others, not ours, I guess.

We're going to miss you guys.

Birthday Season

2010-09-09T15:46:00.003-06:00

It starts soon, with Brian's birthday in a couple of weeks and ending in 2 months with Esme, most of my family members in between. It usually stresses me out, what to buy, what to sew, getting to the post office... in time. For some reason I have decided to start working on Esme's gift first. I'm just too excited about this tutorial and making Esme's first doll. I'd better get to it while the house is quiet.

When she's finished you'll have to help me pick a name.

2010-09-06T16:11:00.002-06:00

Have I mentioned that Brian's been leaving us a lot lately. It's especially terrible when its for the weekend that I wait all week for, only to have him gone and come back in time to go back to work Monday. So far this summer he's gone to Colorado a couples times, New Jersey, Orlando for a week, and now Idaho to go backpacking during the last weekend of summer. Hopefully he'll come back so sore, tired, and hungry that he won't want to leave home anymore.

So Saturday I looked down at Esme's cuteness and thought, Grandma Corrales hasn't seen her lately. Accidentally forgetting about a couple of responsibilities for the weekend I packed the kids and we went for a sleepover at grandma's. Eli is finally getting better at warming up to people, family being most crucial. It was always embarrassing when we'd go and he would never hug his great grandma and only give her grumpy grunts and frowny faces. This time he talked a lot and was super-affectionate.

Jealous of Esme's turn, so he climbed on too.

Reading Grandma his Alphabet Book.

Grandma singing Esme a song in Spanish that she's now sung to 3 generations of babies. Something about these little feet going to pick watermelons.

I'm so glad we went. The kids were great in the car and Brian's grandma, aunt, and cousin got to oogle over our beautiful little Esme.

10 Months

2010-09-03T21:45:00.007-06:00

Esme traded her usual smiles in for seriousness thanks to the prickly grass. Brian likes to point out that she's even cute while crying, not that I was trying make her. She even closes her lips like she's trying to hold it in. It's the saddest thing.

And somehow I never got a picture of Eli in his dad's newborn shirt. Oh well, Esme looks more like him anyway.

Everly Tuesday

2010-09-02T12:07:00.004-06:00

Look who we get to play with every Tuesday morning when her mom, my friend Anna, goes in to the office. Two month old Everly. Eli and I are totally enamored with her, and Esme doesn't really notice her, which is better than jealousy. I have to admit I had a hard time handing her over to her grandma when the time came.

Friend Home Evening

2010-08-31T09:20:00.004-06:00

So us mothers of this trio of troublemakers have decided to get together Monday nights for FHE. We all have husbands that work late and need to get in the habit of weekly family time with a lesson and activity. We all grew up in strong LDS homes, but somehow family night is hard for us to accomplish, so getting together with friends and sharing responsibilities should be the perfect thing to get us going.

I'm kind of a coordinator, times, activities, assignments. My job is easy in Utah because lots of places (libraries, museums, etc.) have events planned for families on Monday nights at 7. Last night was our second time getting together, this time for a magic show at the library.

I was pretty excited for the bunny.

After the show the boys ran around recklessly

While us girls had cinnamon rolls.

We feel good at the end knowing we can check something off our to-do list, got the boys (and girls) out to see each other and have fun, as well as having important teaching time with our kids.